JC9

We’re still reeling from all the soul satisfying moments on Jam Cruise 9, and we are humbled by the level of participation and support that Positive Legacy received from the passengers, artists and staff. One of the most magical aspects of the work Positive Legacy does is its ability to touch people on a soul level and inspire them to get involved. Music has the unique ability to transcend boundaries and connect people together. It allows us to step outside ourselves and experience the interconnectedness to others that is at the core of our being. The beauty of Positive Legacy is that it harnesses the power of music and gives people a platform to experience that interconnectedness to others.

The multi-cultural celebration in Roatan was a beautiful day of giving, connection and music to benefit the School of Life http://www.solsite.org/ and the Roatan Children’s Fundhttp://www.roatanchildrensfund.com/about-us.htm. Jam Cruise musicians and passengers spent the day with members of the community, playing games, dancing, painting, sharing a delicious meal together, learning about each other and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We presented donations of school supplies, soccer gear, eight laptop computers for a computer literacy program, and books, as well as financial contributions towards school scholarships and a bookmobile program designed to reach children in underserved areas. LEBO joined us and painted a brilliant mural for SOL which will serve as a lasting reminder of our visit there. For many of the children, the highlight of the day was a visit from Ice Cream Man. Ice cream is a luxury that rarely comes their way, and there were a lot of happy kids with gooey smiles on their faces. To close our time together, the children took us on a walking tour of their community and splashed with us in the turquoise Caribbean waters. We received a message from SOL’s director shortly after our return telling us that “it will go down as the best day of the year for the kids here.”

A very special thank to the Jam Cruise artist who entertained us in Roatan: ALO, Nathan Moore, Brian Elijah Smith, Pimps of Joytime, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley and Matt Butler.

Our day in Costa Maya highlighted just how Positive Legacy and the Jam Cruise community can make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of others. The day began with a visit to KM55 “kinder” school, which we provided financial support to back in 2009 to build new walls, a new roof, and basic classroom supplies. In 2009, this impoverished school supported 20 pre-school to early elementary age children. Since that time, the school has expanded to serve 70 children and has been in desperate need of a modern bathroom facility with running water and septic. Funds raised through the benefit, auction, and a donation from Cloud 9 have been used to fulfill that wish. After being warmly greeted with a resounding “buenos diaz” by the children, participants toured the tiny school and saw the new facility under construction. We then headed to the coast to perform a beach cleanup with the children, families, and teachers, which ended at our celebration site in Mahahual, where we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of sharing music and local cuisine with the children and community members.

Many thanks to David Gans, Matt Butler, Zach Deputy, and members of Greensky Bluegrass (Anders Beck, Mike Devol, Mike Bont, Dave Bruzza) for sharing this day with us. None of us will soon forget the smiles on the children’s faces as they sang for us and hula hooped to some fine picking music.

We are thrilled to announce that the charity auction set a new record, bringing in over $26,000 to support our current and future social action efforts. Thank you as well to the passengers and artists who supported Positive Legacy by donating and bidding on auction items. If you would like to donate something for an on-line auction or the Jam Cruise 10 charity auction, please contact us at info@positivelegacy.com. Donations to Positive Legacy are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

For the fourth year in a row, 501(c)3 nonprofit TreesWater & People (TWP) partnered with Cloud 9 Adventure’s Green Team and Positive Legacy to bring carbon offsetting to Jam Cruise 9. Cloud 9 provided financial support to offset the emissions associated with Jam Cruise’s 5-day voyage on the MSC Poesia, and the Green Team’s roving educators inspired passengers to offset the carbon associated with their personal travel to/from Fort Lauderdale. Offsets provide an opportunity for Jam Cruise passengers to support communities in need while reducing their environmental footprint, channeling valuable donations to TWP’s award winning conservation, restoration and community empowerment projects in Central America and Haiti.

The carbon offsetting program on Jam Cruise supports important, community-driven reforestation projects that place a diverse array of seedlings back in critical watersheds throughout the Caribbean basin and Central America. Aside from sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, these trees provide valuable habitat, soil stabilization, shade, fuel and food to the communities that plant them, often for generations to come.

Portions of the funds also support TWP’s pioneering work with fuel-efficient cookstoves, which reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by 50% – 70% compared to traditional cookstoves. These cookstoves post up to 90% reductions in toxic indoor air pollution, reducing health pressures and fuel expenses for families, while reducing stress on the forests and ecosystems that surround them.

To date, Cloud 9, Positive Legacy and Jam Cruise passengers are responsible for offsetting 4,237 tons CO2e through the planting of 26,500 fruit trees and tropical hardwoods, and the construction of 115 Fuel-efficient Justa stoves! Those are serious accomplishments which have improved the lives of thousands of people – something we can all be proud of.

TWP’s projects have been recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme’s Sasakawa Prize, The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, the Rio Tinto Sustainability Prize, and most recently the prestigious Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service. TWP consistently achieves the highest rating on Charity Navigator and Better Business Bureau, and was also recently honored by an invitation to advise the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an international effort with a goal of building 100 million cookstoves in the next 10 years.

TWP is proud to partner with Cloud 9 and Positive Legacy in addressing the impact we create during this wonderful event, and we send a special thank you to Matt Butler and the Everyone Orchestra for putting on such a spectacular Greening Celebration in support of TWP’s work.

A special thanks to all the passengers who donated school supplies, vitamins, toothbrushes, books and laptops for the children in Roatan and Costa Maya. The schools there struggle to provide basic supplies for the children to receive an education. Many families struggle to meet their basic needs. The 3 pallets of supplies that were collected have positively touched the lives of hundreds of children in these communities, and reflects the spirit and generosity of the Jam Cruise community.

Support the KM55 School and Library with special guests David Gans, Matt Butler and more
Beach Clean Up, Community Celebration, Benefit, Music & Fun

Jam Cruise 9 returns to Costa Maya this year providing a wonderful opportunity to build upon our Positive Legacy work from Jam Cruise 7. In 2009, Cloud 9 provided financial support to help rebuild and resupply the KM55 “kinder” school in Mahahual and Las Casitas, which were heavily damaged by a Category 5 Hurricane. Also provided were additional donations of school supplies, solar ovens, refurbished laptops, and musical instruments to support those communities.

Join Positive Legacy for the opportunity to reconnect with the local community in Mahahual. Proceeds from this event and a donation from Cloud 9 will support additional renovations at KM55 School and support a local library project. We will start the day with a brief visit to the nearby KM55 School. We will then walk a mile stretch along the beach with the school children, picking up trash as we go. Then we will spend the rest of the day enjoying a song and dance presentation by the kids, lunch prepared by local cooks, tasty treats courtesy of Ice Cream Man, music by Jam Cruise Artists, and free time to swim in the ocean, play soccer and tour the town as desired.

The cost of this benefit event is $70 per person, $35 for kids. A portion of the ticket price will be tax-deductible as a charitable donation. Tickets will be will-call and all participants must be in Greening HQ by 8:45am ship time. Please note that due to local politics, we cannot provide round trip bus service. All participants should plan to have $5 cash on hand for the return trip to port via local taxis. Taxis will shuttle participants back to the ship from 2:30 – 3pm ship time. Purchase tickets here.

Support the SOL International Foundation with ALO, Nathan Moore and Matt Butler
Local Community outreach, education, fundraising, music and the arts

Our Positive Legacy event in Roatan supports the School of Life (SOL) International Foundation’s commitment to enhancing the standards of education, arts and athletics in Roatan. With help from Jam Cruise attendees, Cloud 9 and Positive Legacy will also be presenting donations to the SOL International Foundation and the Roatan Children’s Fund.

This excursion includes local style cuisine, transportation, community activities, mural painting activity led by LEBO and a live local reggae band featuring very special Jam Cruise Artists. Ice Cream Man will be bringing their tasty treats to the island to share with the youth and all in attendance. There will be an opportunity for guests to have free beach time or visit the famous Carambola Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden and lush tropical forest which is a one minute walk from SOL headquarters. Admission to the gardens is an additional $6.

The ticket cost for this benefit event is $75.00 per person, $37.50 for kids. A portion of the ticket price will be tax-deductible as a charitable donation. Tickets will be will-call and all participants must be in Greening HQ by 9:30am ship time. We will return to the ship at 4:30pm ship time. Purchase tickets here.

Books in English and Spanish ages 3 – 15 to stock Roatan Children’s Fund’s new bookmobile. Gently used is OK.

Please pack some additional items to donate to our Positive Legacy beneficiaries in Roatan and Costa Maya. This represents a unique and easy opportunity for Jam Cruise passengers to demonstrate the spirit and generosity of our community by helping others far less fortunate than ourselves who continue to struggle to meet basic needs.

Roatan and Costa Maya are places of abundant natural beauty as well as persistent poverty for many of its residents. The Jam Cruise passenger donation drive is centered around our desire to connect with the local people in the communities we visit, to gain a deeper understanding of their way of life, and to do something positive for them.

The local schools struggle to provide basic supplies for the children to receive an education. Many families struggle to provide even clothes for their children so they can attend school. Electricity, hot water, and hot meals are sporadic for many. In Roatan, we will be supporting more than 30 schools, many of them located in remote locations!

Drop off hours will be Day 1 and Day 2 in Greening Headquarters, mid deck 6, next to the Zebra Bar. All passengers who make a donation will receive a stamp on their Conscious Cruiser passport.

Thanks in advance for supporting Positive Legacy and the children and people of Roatan and Costa Maya!

Once again, Leaving a Positive Legacy will be conducting a used laptop drive to benefit one of our port cities. This year’s efforts will be focused on providing refurbished laptop computers to two beneficiaries in Roatan, The Majken Broby Children’s Home and the Diamond Rock Elementary School.

At the Majken Broby Children’s Home, the laptops will directly impact the education of the two oldest children at the home. Although Alex is 18, he has been allowed to stay at the Home as long as he is enrolled in continued higher education, but has been asked by his teacher to do his papers on a computer. He and Daysi, 15, are both in a private school and the Roatan Children’s Fund pays their tuition and makes sure that they have school supplies and uniforms. 6 years ago these two children spoke no English and had little motivation or concern for grades or school. The transformation has been nothing short of amazing. They are both now fluent in English, highly motivated and have a strong desire to continue their education.

If you or your company has a laptop you would like to donate, please contact Matt Whildin at mwhildin@gmail.com to discuss your laptop and our needs. Leaving a Positive Legacy is a registered 501(c)(3) charity, therefore your laptop donation will be tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please check with your tax adviser to determine the fair market value of your donation.